Decorative material



June 2, 1942. A. LA MAY 2,285,212

DECQRATIVE MATERIAL Filed March 21, 194].

(2% Q INVENTOR.

BY Jda [db/1% dmh Patented June 2, 1942 DECORATIVE MATERIAL Ada La May, Mount Vernon, Ohio, assignor to Shellmar Products Company, Mount Vernon, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application March 21, 1941, Serial No. 384,493

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in decorative material using a material such as transparent cellulose sheeting.

For sometime in modern merchandising it has been customary for manufacturers to decorate packages containing staple articles with a special fancy dress for various holidays in order to increase the sales appeal of the articles and to bring them within the spirit of the occasion. After the original purchase or its delivery as a gift, the fancy dress is normally torn off and discarded and its further usefulness is terminated.

One object of the present invention is to provide a decorative material that may be used by a seller in attractively displaying his goods for sale and may again be used by a purchasing consumer in decorating the goods so purchased.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved decorative strip or label that is attractive, may be easily used and applied for decorative purposes, and wherein only the decorative material itself will be substantially noticeable in use.

A further object is to provide a decorative material that will increase the sale of seller's product.

Other objects will be apparent from an understanding of the following description and by reference to the accompanying drawing wherein one embodiment of the invention is described and shown for purposes of exemplification.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a view of a strip of decorative material showing one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the strip attached to a sellers product such as a box of eggs;

Fig. 3 is a view of a portion of the strip as it might be removed from the strip by a consumer for decorative purposes; and

Fig. 4 shows an article decorated by use of a strip portion.

In the embodiment of the invention as shown, a strip of transparent material such as cellulose sheeting or Cellophane is fancifully printed with suitable decorative designs or indicia and generic .family designations suitable for any holiday occasion and in such form as to render it easily applicable to a seller's package for handing the same. In the drawing a decorative Easter design is used with family designations such as father, mother, and so forth, imprinted therewith.

During the manufacture of the strip a transparent thermoplastic lacquer or adhesive is applied to the back of the strip coextensive with the designs so that a purchasing consumer may cut out the portions of the strip desired and apply them in slip form to a hot surface such as the shell of a hot hard boiled egg to cause the label to adhere thereto. The effect is to have the decorative material and the generic designations stand out upon the object so treated as though placed there by hand artistry as the transparent sheeting is unnoticeable.

A seller may thus create a desire in a consumer for his product by reason of the extra usefulness to which it may be put without additional expense on the consumers part. This in turn increases the sellers good will and tends to increase his sales.

With reference to the drawing a strip of Cellophane generally designated to is shown with a series of Easter designs l2 arranged transversely thereof and having generic family designations M such as sonny or sister positioned transversely of the strip and arranged between the holiday designs to form a series of transverse decorative slips. Guide lines l6v may separate each of these series of decorative markings from the other.

Centrally of the band, or in that portion that may be positioned across the top side of the sellers package, advertising material may be inserted of an enlarged holiday design as at l8. At one end of the band, such as at 20, directions for use of the band by the consumer may be printed.

As shown, the band or strip H! may be applied to a package22 of eggs with the portion I8 positioned across the top and with the ends of the band passing downwardly along the sides of the package and therebeneath where they may be overlapped and adhesivcly secured together.

After the printing of the designs and connotations on the back of the Cellophane strip as is customary, the strip is coated with a transparent thermoplastic lacquer or adhesive that has no adhering effect when contacting a surface at normal temperatures encountered by the strip such as in stores or homes or through daily weather conditions. The eggs from the package 22 may be hard boiled, as in preparation for an Easter holiday, and colored or not as desired. The strip I!) then may be severed transversely along lines I6 and the slips may be pressed against the shell of an egg such as 24 with the coated thermoplastic side thereagainst while the egg is still in an abnormal heated condition. The thermoplastic lacquer will cause the decorative slips to adhere to the shell.

Either the slips I! or the slips ll may be used alone as shown in Fig. 3 or they may be joined as shown in Fig. 4 to give a diflerent decorative motif. The transparent Cellophane and the transparent thermoplastic lacquer are substantially not noticeable when the slip is in place on the shell and the decorative features are em- 'phasized. The consumer need not apply adhesive to the back or the slips and the productsare easily and quickly decorated.

Various modifications of the invention will :be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or the invention. All such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

l. A decorative holiday package and product strip for Easter eggs and the like, including a strip of cellulose sheeting wrapped around said package containing said product with its ends overlapped and secured together, a series of appropriate holiday designs adjacent each other along said strip for decorating said product, di-

viding guide lines between adjacent designs, a

thermoplastic coating" on the portion of said strip carrying said designs, said coating being nonadherent to said package at normal temperatures, said designs being severable along-said guide lines on removal or said strip from said package and adherent to said product through said coating on heating said product to an abnormal temperature.

2. A decorative holiday package and product strip for Easter eg s and the like, including a strip of cellulose sheeting wrapped around said said product to an abnormal temperature.

ADA LA MAY. 

